Monday, January 17, 2011

Antonio Cromartie cornerback of the New York Jets has joined the NOH8 campaign, becoming the first in the NFL to do so (or any of “the big 3” – NBA, MLB, or NFL – for what I know.)
After I wrote about MLS player Mike Chababla joining the campaign, a frequent reader, JEB, asked if I was aware of any other athletes from “the big 3” to lend their star power to the campaign. The closest I could think of was Isiah Thomas doing so with his son, but he’s retired now.
This gesture by Cromartie is incredible and ground breaking. That homophobic barrier in the sports world is coming down, and in reality, we imagine it being worse than it really is. Yes, there are still homophobes in the industry and in the sections of fans, but there are more allies throughout than we know. I hope more athletes follow Cromartie’s lead and continue to vocalize their support. Without the explicit action, we do not know how much support we really have.

1 comment:

Wow. This IS huge. As a Charger fan I do so love to bag on Cromartie and his many children sprinkled all over the country along with his often very me me me mind set, BUT, well this is truly courageous in many ways for him to do this so my tune has just changed about him. Go JETS!